Process of mounting roller bearings on car axles



March 4, 1930. v v T. v.' BUCKWALTER 1,748,973

` PROCESS OF MOUNTNG ROLLER BEARINGS 0N CAR AXLES Filed Feb 16, 1929 A'Patented 4a *UNITED- PATENT fon-lcs i omo, -assIGNonJro THE 'HERENROLLER,

I Application fled February 16, 1.929. Serial No. 340,418..

l invention relates to processes `of I l mounting roller bearings ou caraxles. l The present application is a continuationin A'part of mycopending application Serial No. 5 234,634, filed November 21, 1927.There are numerouswell` known reasons that make it desirable tointerpose roller bearings between the journal portions of car axles andthe journal boxes; but heretofore it has 1o been diiicult toassemble theparts of the roller bearin suitable for such heavy duty with theprecision required. The purpose of the present invention is to devise aprocess -thatn makes it practicable to assemble such l 15 bearing partswith .the required precision.

`Inl the `accompanyin drawin which f orms part of this'speci cation anwherein Y. like symbols'refer to like parts wherever they t 20 Figi 1 alo'eigltudinal .sectional view o f a roller bearing a e constructionafter the ram #has pressed' the outer bearing cone to a pc- `sition inwhich the endwise play cf the journal box 111355'I be determined;

Figa is a. similar ,View ofthe roller bearlng axle construction at theend of its iinall stage of assembly, with the ram of the press incontact with the end 'cf-thcI axle and with shims equal to the accessplay of the housing interposed between the ram land distance l sleevethat abuts against the outer bearing cone. v v

Itis common practice to press-lit car wheels on Vtheir axles;` and Fig.;lof the drawing il-I lustrates-a car axle 1 with the wheels 2pressfitted thereon and with the j ournalportions 3 between therespective wheels and the adja- ,Y cent ends of the axle. In lieu of thejournals of the ordinary axle, that it in ordinary jour ar rib 6l provied therefor in the inside of fthejournalbox or housing 4. Each end of4.5 the' axle 1 iprovlided with two cones-7 or iinnal boxes, thepresentaxle adapts each of the e journal 'boxes to receive two .conical bearingT `ciilps whose lar efends abut against an anyond the journal ortion 3is reduced in diameter and threa' ed to receive a nut 10 that is ofsuiicient diameter to abut fendwise against the large end of the cone 7of the outer bearing. l w 55 On account oftheir size and the heavy dutyto which such roller bearings'are subjected in service and the resultingnecessity .of making them heavier and stronger than roller bearl ings inother relations, the usual practices co of assembling and adjustingroller bearing parts are practically inapplicable. This is particularlytrue on account of the need for a heavy press-fit of the outer bearingcone 011 the axle and the inability to adjust such 65 cone afteritleaves the hydraulic press.'

. According to the present invention, the d'iameter of the journalportion 3 of the axle 1s less than that of the wheel seat 11, and the winner of the two bearing cones 7 beyond such 70 wheel seat 11 ispress-fitted on such journal and forced home against the shoulder 12formed by the reduction ofthe diameter of the axle. The cage 13 androllers 8 are .then slipped over the end of the axle, and the jour- 'I5nal box orhousing 4 with the cup of such 1nner bearing fitted in itsinner end 1s also slipped over the end of the axle, whereby. the partsof the inner bearing are brought `lnto proper relation to one another.The cup 5 of 80 the outer bearing is fitted into the outer end of thejournal box 4 or housing elther before or after (preferably before) thesaid housing is slippedonto the axle. The other cage 13 and rollers 8are then slipped over the end of 85 the axle and the outer bearing coneis pressiitted on the axle and forced endwise thereon y tothe preciseposition requlred.

he operation of mountlng the outer cone 7 on the axle is as follows: Theaxle 1 1s placed 90 in a hydraulic press with the several parts, exceptthe outer bearingl cone, assembled thereon. The louter bearin cone 7 1 sther. l slipped over the end of t e axle wlth its ysmaller end startedonto the journal portion 3 lli4 of the axle. A dummy nut 10 is thenscrewed i onto the threaded end 9 of the axle and a distance sleeve 15is shpped over said dummy nut. The dummy nut preferably has acylindrical surface and a castellated outer end 10* 16, and is shorterthan the distance sleeve 15, which llas a'sliding fit thereon?,l Theylength of the distance sleeve 1 5 is equal to or slightly less than thedistance'fronh the plane. of the end face of the axle 1 to the planeofthe back face of the outer bearing cone 7 when said bearing cone is inits adjustedlposition."

The ram is then engaged with the-outer end of the distance sleeve 15 toforce the outer bearing cone 7 along'the axle to a position somewhatshort of its final adjustment. The extent of looseness of adjustment'isthen determined by measuring the play or extent of movement of thehousing lengthwise ofthe axle,'say, for the sake of illustration, aboutthirty-ive-thousandtlis vof an inch. As proper adjustment requires aslight play of the housing endwise of the axle, say for sake of example,eight-thousandths of an inch, the proper adjustment of the outer bearingrequires it to be moved lengthwise an amount equalto the total amountofits endwise playminus the amount of play desired for final adjustment.JIn. the given case, this amount is thirty-five thousandths of an inchminus eight-thousandths of an inch, that is to say, twenty-seventhousandths of 'an inch, which is the amount that the outer bearing must"be moved endwise ofthe axle' to secure the desired permanent positionof adjustment. After it has been determined thatthe outer bearing mustbe 4moved lengthwise Fof the axle twenty-seven-thousandths ofan inch tobring it into its permanent position of adjustf ment, the distancebetween the end of (the axle and the overhanging-outer end of the sleeve1s determined and. this amount, say, for

sake of example, twenty-thousandths of 'an'` inch, is subtrated fromtwenty-se'ven-thousandthsoff an inch, the movement required to bring theouter bearing cone to its proper po-L sltion of. ,'ladjustment, leavingseven-thou sandths of an inch. Thin annularr shims 17 having anaggregate thickness vof 'seventbousandth-.ofl an inchae then interposedbetween the ou'ter end Aof the distance sleeve 'and the face ofthe` ram,a d the ram is then operated until the face thereof'labuts againstv.theend of the axle, therebyforcing the outer GilA bearing fcone `lforward Vtwenty-seven-thou-A ssandths of an inch further and Cbringingit into its permanent position ofladjustment. j'It 1s noted that'in thegiven case. the distance beytween the adjacent ends ofthe axle `anddistance sleeves in theseminal-stage of assembly 1 s twentythousandthsof inch, thereby requiring the use of shims having an aggregatethickness i'of seven-thousandths of an vinch to secure a total movementof twenty- `seventhousandths of an inch when the ram is in contactwith*the vend of, the axle. However, the thlckness'of shims required to movethe outer bearing cone to its permanent posir tion of adjustment willvary according to distance between the end of the axle and the end ofthedistance sleeve in the semifinal ,stage of' assembly. In other words, ifthe outer 'end of the distance sleeve is flush with the outer end of theaxle in the semifinal stage of assembly, the thickness of shims requiredwill equal the distance that the outer bearing cone must be forcedforward to bring it into its permanent vposition of adjustment.

An efficient way of measuring -the play or extent-of .movement ofthehousing lengthwise of the axle in the semifinal stage of assembly is tostrap dial indicator 19 on said axle inwardly of said housing' with aradially movable bar extending parallel with the axle and operativelyconnected to an arm 21 that swings over the face of the dial. Thediffer'- ence between the readings of the swinging armwith the housingat its inner and outer c positions gives the play of such housing. v

The drawing illustrates a construction wherein each end of the axle isequipped with two .ser-ies of "taper rollers that taper towards eachother.` Obviously, the process is applicableto a construction whereineach end of the axle is equipped with a single series of taper rollers,with the rollers of each series tapering toward the rollers of the otherseries. In such case,the truck construction joins the housings for thetwo ends of the axle t0- gether so as to function after the manner ofthe single housing 4 illustrated inthe draw- What I claim is; r

1. The process of pr'c'widing a car axle with taper roller bearings,which comprises ,pressfitting on said axle a bearing cone that tapers.towards a second bearing cone hereinafter mentioned,'slipping ontovsaid axle bearingI cups'that are'relatively fixed and havetaper rollersbetween them and said cones respectively, slpping onto the axle saidsecond bearing cone tapering toward said first mentioned cone, slippingover the end of the axle a sleeve adapted to bearagainst the end ofsaidsecondicone, measuring the .endwise play of the cupsdn the position'of the sleeve thus established, placing opposite the outer end of saidsleeve shims of a thickness equal to f the excessl play ofsaid cups,1andmovin a ram against said shims until its face reac es sleeve when saidmeasrement was made, said 1154 the plane occupied by saidyouterrend ofsaid y.

axle being meanwhile heldin Afixed position. A d l 2. The processofproviding a car axle with f taper roller bearings, which comprisespresse cups that are relatively fixed and have taper, rollers l)etween'thengiJ and said cones respectively, slipping onto the axle saidsecond '.bearing cone tapering4 toward said first mentioned' cone,-slipping'over the end of the axle a sleeve adapted to bear against theend? Vof said second cone, moving a ram against ttingon said axle abearing cone that tapers' u f towards .a second bearing -conehereinafter mentioned, slipping-onto .said axle bearing measuring saidsleeve to a. predetermined position, the endwise play of the cups in thepositionlof the sleeve thus established, interposing between said sleeveand said ram shims of athiclmess equal to the excess play of said cups,and again moving'said ram to said predetermined position, said axlebeing meanwhile held in fixed position.

f 3. The process of providing a car axle with.

taper roller bearings,whicl1.comprises pressittingon said axle a bearingcone that tapers towards a second bearing cone herein after mentioned,slipping onto said axle bearing cups thats are relatively fixed and havei taper rollers betweenthem and said cones I respectively, slipping ontothe axle said second bearmg cone ,taperingtoward saidl firstmentionedcone, forcing said lsecond bearing cone along said axle to apositionshort of the final position, measuring the endwise play of the cups inthe position of the second bear;

vingcone thus established, and `then forcing said second bearing conefurther along said 4 over the end ofthe axl axle 'a distance equal tothe excess play of said cups, said axle being meanwhile held infixed-position. f f

4. The process of providing a car axle with taper roller bearingsinterposed between said axle and the jornalbox, which comprisespress-fitting on said axle a bearingcone that tapers outwardly, slippingoverthe end-of. said axle a housing with bearing -cups seated thereinand lwith` rollers between said bear-f ing cone to its ermanent positionof adjustment, said axle eing meanwhile heldin fixed position.

signed at' canton, ohio, this 7th day of February, 1929. y l TRACYBUCKWALTER.

ing cone and the inner lbearing cupzslip'ping n anv inwardly taperingouter bearing cone posed between it and the outer` bearing cup forcing-said outer bearing cone along sald after mentioned, slip ingonto saidaxle bear.-

ing cups that are re atively fixed' and have ftaper rollers between themand said cones nd bearing cone liereine with rollers inter-y l Qrespectively, slipping onto theaxle said secr i' `o^nd bearingv conetapering toward said first? mentioned'cone, slipping over the end of theaxle a.4 sleeve adapted to bear against the end of said7 second cone,moving a ram\aga inst said sleeve to force said second bearing conealong'said axle to a'position short of lits final adjustment,measuring'l the endwise-play of the cups in the position of the sleevelthus vestablished,.a.nd moving; said ram into contact withtheed ofterposed between said ram and 'sleeve of a thiclmess suicient to move-said second bearsaid axle with shims inj

